Stuck
by Setrus
Summary: Alistair and Morrigan, sitting in a cave, B-I-C-K-E-R-I-N-G.


"'Tis all your fault you know."

In the deafening silence that had descended between them the calm accusation was like a screech.

Alistair blinked, then looked up from the gravel he was sitting on to the other side of the dark room to look at his companion leaning against the wall at her end of the room, as always the sight of her made the hairs of the back of his neck stand up. "Wait, how is this _my_ fault?"

Morrigan scoffed, shaking her head with her eyes looking up at the ceiling, as if asking the Maker why she even bothered. _Though I'm sure she's asking some demon, a __mean__ demon_..._that steals cheese from children as they sleep_... "_You_ were the one dragging me to this smelly little cave."

Alistair shook his head. Maker... "I was trying to keep us _alive_, remember the darkspawn nearly swamping us?" He jabbed his head to the right, finding the large cave-in at the entrance there still solid and...well..._cave-ini_. "And _you_ were the one who threw that fireball despite me expressively telling you _not_ to."

Again the witch scoffed, her arms folding in front of her chest as she moved her head to glare down at him. "I do not take orders from you. Besides..." A small smirk stole its way to her lips. "...what were _you_ going to do? Kill all those creatures with that little poker of yours?" She nodded at the glittering blade lain to rest next to Alistair, its bluish enchantments the only illumination in the dank cave.

"Yes, in fact, I was." Alistair grumbled, he _would_ have managed it...with a little luck...and perhaps a supporting spell or two...the kind that _didn't_ cause massive collateral damage.

Again, that _eeevil_ smirk. "Oh I'm so sorry you did not get the opportunity to show off those manly brawns for our intrepid leader, I'm sure she would have been oh so impressed with you being hacked apart..."

"I'll have you know Elissa is already impressed with me." Alistair stated, trying to sound confident, the way Morrigan's smirk endured telling him he wasn't doing a good job. "And if you thought I would have been hacked apart I'm surprised you tried to help at all."

"I don't hate you enough to let myself die to get you killed, toadstool." Morrigan replied, looking away with a derisive snort. "And that Cousland girl of yours would be impressed if you got your clothes on straight." Another snort. "Disgusting..."

Alistair found himself grinning. Morrigan and Elissa did _not_ see eye to eye on _many_ things, in particular the worth of their templar companion. As such Morrigan had developed a variety of derisive nicknames for both Alistair and Elissa, and ever since the two had gotten together, to the pair. As of later 'the sugar bits' seemed to be her favourite...usually followed by a grimace that showed that there was _nothing_ sweet about them.

In the end Alistair decided not to argue about it.

Instead he sighed. "Look, they'll find the cave and dig us out soon enough, don't worry."

"I'm _not,_ you overgrown Mabari." Morrigan narrowed her eyes at him, then looked away with a huff. "But until they do I'm stuck in here..." A long sigh, pained. "...with _you_."

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Morrigan was still leaning against the wall, but Alistair had gotten to his feet, and was _pacing_.

Grimacing she forced herself to speak, to have something _but_ that _incessant_ scrape of armoured boots against stone fill the room. "Would you stop that? Or should I perhaps freeze you to the spot?" _Not a bad idea, save the fact that I'd never hear the end of that later_...

"They should have found us by now, started digging." Alistair kept pacing, not even glancing at her as he swivelled round to move back the short route he'd made for himself. "I'm bored to tears and hungry..."

"You wardens and your stomachs..." Morrigan felt her patience wearing thin as she watched the man continue. "And if you're bored perhaps you should do something more constructive, preferably _silent_." 

Finally he stopped, head turning ever so slightly in her direction, gaze distant. "Well...guess I could do some meditating." His eyes darted to her as he offered a lame explanation. "Erm...templar thing..."

"Oh yes, emptying your mind as you sit still...must be _such_ a challenge for you." Morrigan chuckled at the idea. "'Tis a wonder you don't exist in a constant state of meditation." 

Alistair didn't reply, a habit he'd taken up when he didn't think her comment _worthy_ of notice.

Morrigan glared at him.

Still ignoring her the man moved to his end of the cave, turned to face her, and then slipped onto both knees, hands limp to his sides as he lowered his head.

"You look like an idiot." Morrigan scoffed, but there was no reaction. "Though you _always_ look like an idiot..." No answer, the man's chest slowly moving as he breathed, head still lowered, as if in one of those foolish prayers the Maker-lovers so gladly wasted time on. "...so 'tis not difficult..."

No answer.

Morrigan sighed, leant back against the wall and crossed her arms in front of her, watching the man with a frown of irritation.

The silence had already begun to annoy her.

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The tapping wouldn't cease.

In his calm state he didn't care, not _really_, but his innate curiosity got the better of him and he opened his eyes ever so slightly to glance up at his unfortunate choice of companion.

Morrigan was still standing against her wall, but her right foot had come up, the ball of it leaning against the wall as her heel again and again came to tap against it, a bored, tiny little kick. _Like_ _a_ _horse_. Alistair smirked at the thought.

Keeping his tone as innocent as humanly possible, which wasn't very much, he spoke: "Is something amiss?"

To his amusement the witch visibly flinched at the words, her eyes guilty as they darted over to him and then her tapping foot. A small scoff and she looked back at the cave in. "Nothing _fool_."

"_Really_?" Alistair smirked as he raised his head. "Because I remember starting to meditate in order to give you some peace and quiet..."

"How generous of you." Again she scoffed, refusing to look at him as she frowned. "Now go back to being empty-headed, as usual..."

"If you want to distract yourself with talking I'm game." Alistair offered, grimacing at the idea of holding a conversation with the witch beyond that of their teasing and arguing, but willing to offer it if it would make the witch a bit less irritable. "I'm _suuuure_ we have loads in common, how does cheese taste like when you're in spider shape?"

Morrigan snorted, shot him a glance, then shook her head in exasperation. "You're an idiot."

"Now how's that a reaction to an honest offer out of the kindness of my heart?" Alistair mocked, grinning.

"Keep your kindness, your offers and your questions for that air-head, miss kissy face." Morrigan shot him a glare, though her foot finally came away from the wall as she shifted where she stood.

"Awww, jealous?" Alistair prodded._ This is way more fun then meditating_! "I'm sure if you ask nicely Elissa will give you a kiss as well, she's nothing but generous."

"_Jealous_!" Morrigan spluttered, then shook her head vigorously, a grimace of disgust on her face. "I'd rather kiss _you_!" Somehow the grimace turned even sourer even as she turned her back to him, shuddering. "Filthy, disgusting...ugh...what a horrible thought...I'll have to scrub my brain when I get out of here."

Alistair couldn't help but grin. "I doth think the lady protest too much..."

Morrigan whirled about, her golden eyes shining in the cave as she glared at him, staff half-drawn. A feral animal. "Keep at this and I'll burn you to cinders and tell the others the darkspawn got to you!"

Alistair hesitated, but only for a moment, knowing Morrigan, despite her obvious dislike of him, would _never_ harm one of the two wardens left in Ferelden. "Tsk, tsk, remember witch...I'm a _templar_."

"And I have _killed_ templars." To Alistair's surprise the glare didn't fade, the staff coming free as Morrigan growled at him. "Now silence!"

"I was just trying to talk to you..." Alistair mumbled, confused, then glared at the drawn staff. "And put that thing down." His glare moved to Morrigan's golden eyes, boring into them. Ever since Goldanna he'd found himself more assertive...and he wasn't about to be bullied by an apostate. "_Now_."

Morrigan actually _hesitated_...then snorted. "I told you, I don't obey _you_." Her eyes turned into slits. "And I told you to be silent!"

Her staff moved.

Emptiness...nothing, no emotions, no power, a _void_. Alistair summoned his templar training on instinct, his time fighting darkspawn, emissaries in particular, having refined his skills to a point he didn't know himself capable of.

With a loud thumping sound the ground shook...and Morrigan groaned as she wavered where she stood, her left hand holding her head as the other weakly moved her staff in a struggle to cast whatever spell she was attempting.

A moment later his left arm was placed against her collar bones, pushing her against the wall, his other busy holding the edge of his blade against the witch's pale throat. Morrigan's breath caught as her staff uselessly fell from her fingers, the witch nearly limp as Alistair pressed her against the wall.

"I _said_..." Alistair glared into the golden eyes of Morrigan, finding them struggling to meet his gaze.. "...put it _down_."

"It _is_ down..."Morrigan muttered, the blue light of the enchantments covering Alistair's blade dancing over her face as she visibly swallowed. "...dolt."

_Even in danger_... Alistair stifled a chuckle. "You really ought to learn some diplomacy, I'm holding a blade against your throat you know."'

"But you won't kill me." Morrigan retorted, raising her chin, a haughty look on her face, in stark contrast with the lone bead of sweat running down the side of her face.

_She's_..._nervous_? Alistair watched the bead of sweat as it slowly moved down to her chin, then throat before...he averted his gaze, cheeks flushing "Of course not." He shook his head. "Despite you being...well..._you_...I wouldn't hurt you."

To his surprise no taunt escaped the witch, only a pause before she spoke, a low mutter. "You might regret that later on..."

"Perhaps." Alistair pulled his blade away, lowering it as he regarded Morrigan, finding her golden eyes strangely...hesitant. "But that's not written in stone is it? I will not become Loghain who kills people for what they _might_ do..." _Cailan_..._brother_... Alistair was surprised by the grief striking him, he had been so torn up by the loss of Duncan he hadn't even thought of the brother he'd lost...

"I don't understand you." Morrigan grumbled, looking away, unable to meet his eyes. "Always such a fool, yet..." She bit her lower lip in irritation as a pale hand suddenly came to rest upon Alistair's left shoulder. "Irritating...fool."

Alistair smirked, though only a little as he cocked his head to the side. "Running out of insults are you...?"

The hand on his shoulder was pulling gripping into his shoulder-guard, pulling him closer...

To his utter shock he wasn't resisting.

Closer...

The pale face turning to face him, golden eyes almost warm...

Closer... 

Alistair swallowed, his mind foggy.

Closer...

Warm breath brushing against his lips...

A crash of stones falling inwards and Alistair found himself pulling himself free of the near final embrace, face turning crimson even as a bead of sunlight shot through a hole in the cave-in.

Then the sunlight disappeared as Elissa's lovely face appeared. "Hey! _There_ you are! I hope you've not been too bored!" She grinned, all positive and encouraging.

Alistair found himself clearing his throat even as Morrigan inched further away from him, he still managed a smile though, relieved. "Thank the Maker for you! I wouldn't have lasted anotgher second!"

Behind him Morrigan grumbled, but Alistair ignored it, enraptured by the wonderful sight of Elissa's face as more of the cave-in was torn asunder to the sound of Sten's grunting. Elissa kept smiling from the hole though. "Hang on, I'll have to help Sten before he starts shouting..." She grinned at her own joke before disappearing.

Ahead the cave-in began to break apart, making Alistair breathe a sigh of relief even as he shot a glance back at Morrigan.

The witch was hugging her shoulders, looking away from him, eyes narrowed in anger.

Alistair opened his mouth, to apologise for his behaviour, to make things better. Instead Morrigan interrupted him as she snorted. "Shut up." A blush creeping onto her cheeks.

With a final thud the last rock of the cave-in fell, showing a bright new day outside, Elissa standing at the head of the group, hands on her hips and smirking. "The things you kids get stuck in..."

"_Finally_." Morrigan snapped, brusquely brushing past Alistair as she strode out into the open, ignoring the rest of the group as she hurried towards the forest. Her voice fading: "Couldn't stand another moment with that fool..."

To his surprise Alistair grinned after her. He was sure she'd be quiet for a while now, and then in a few days later continue to tease and bicker with him with renewed energy.

He was even more surprised to find himself looking forward to it.

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Dedicated to Abydos Jackson, may her light never dim.


End file.
